Ekkachai and Laksana held a kiss for 58 hours 35 minutes

On 14 February 2013, Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat from Bangkok, Thailand held a kiss for 58 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds in a Valentine’s Day “kissathon” for a new world record, which must be verified by officials from Guinness World Records.

In 2007, two people were fined and jailed for a month after kissing and hugging in public in Dubai. In 2008, Singapore’s Media Development Authority fined cable firm StarHub after it broadcast an advertisement showing two women kissing.

In India, public display of affection is a criminal offense under Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 with a punishment of imprisonment of up to three months, or a fine, or both. This law was used by police and lower courts to harass and prosecute couples engaging in intimate acts, such as kissing in public. However, in a number of landmark cases, the higher courts dismissed assertions that kissing in public is obscene.

Health benefits

Affection in general has stress-reducing effects. Kissing in particular has been studied in a controlled experiment and it was found that increasing the frequency of kissing in marital and cohabiting relationships results in a reduction of perceived stress, an increase in relationship satisfaction, and a lowering of cholesterol levels.

Kissing can also cause the adrenal glands to release epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenaline and noradrenaline) into the blood, thereby causing an adrenaline rush, which has a beneficial impact on the cardiovascular system because the heart pumps faster. In an experiment by Dr. Alexander DeWees, a passionate kiss generally burns up to 2–3 calories per minute.